Jump to content
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Sign in to follow this  
shooter27

First box-style pad

Recommended Posts

What was the first box-style pad, with a truly flat sliding surface engineered for the butterfly style? The first one I remember is the RBK pad that a lot of guys wore coming out of the first NHL lockout, but I don’t know if that’s truly the first.  I remember a few brands were considered “butterfly” pads back in the late 90’s/early 00’s, specifically TPS and Koho, but I don’t remember if any of those were truly the box-style that is the norm today.  I also remember a very square pad from the late 80’s/early 90’s that one of my teammates wore, I believe the were called Aeroflex.  Is it possible they were the first?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Maybe I’m using the wrong term (I’m not a goalie).  I’m referrring to the modern style pad that has a flat surface intended for sliding in the five hole area and was engineered to be worn lose on the leg and rotate to a square position when the goalie is down in the butterfly and allows the goalie to use sliding as the primary form of lateral movement.  

Pretty much anything like this

https://goo.gl/images/J9UB6a

I’d consider this a more traditional, non-box pad

https://goo.gl/images/Q49pJA

 

 

Edited by shooter27

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The first pad truly designed to facilitate lateral butterfly movements was probably the first generation Velocity, designed by Pete Smith.  Yes, there were flat pads, like what Barrasso wore (also designed by Smith), that provided a more stable surface to seal to the ice.  But those were not meant to be worn loose or rotate on the goalie's leg, nor did they have a landing block to keep the pad square to the ice.

https://warriorhockey.com/2016/09/30/30-years-of-innovation/

There were only a few gear designers that innovated the gear to suit the new style that pros wanted.  Other than Smith, you had Michel Lefebvre, who designed the gear for Koho (working with Roy and the Allaire brothers to develop butterfly style pads) and then designed the first RBK Premier line that was so familiar.  And there was also Brian Heaton and Dave Wilcox who were the designers for TPS, and ghosted gear for many of the Heaton pros, like Brodeur.  

Edited by psulion22
  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...